john kilmer-purcell

I just recently wrapped up reading one of the best books thus far in my life, and if you knew me well enough, you’d know it’s next to impossible to make that list.

John Kilmer-Purcell’s, I am not myself these days, made the list.

Typically, I’m not one for gay literature, as I feel the characters’ homosexual ways are often over exaggerated and the stories center more on the sexual acts versus the actual human emotions and relationships (think Danielle Steele versus Louisa May Alcott).

That’s where John Kilmer-Purcell comes in. His personal living memoire tells his drag queen tale and the chapter of his life where he falls in love with a male escort. The book revolves around the relationship, not just the sex, and struck a deep chord with me as a gay male reader. Not just because I’ve always dreamed of throwing on a sequin dress with live gold fish in my brazier (read the book, it will all make sense), but because the emotional connection and feelings expressed between the two men on each page of the book, for once felt real.

The book can be found pretty much anywhere, but the likeliest of places in Vancouver is Book Warehouse on Davie Street. If you’re not from these parts, then any online retailer or local book store should carry it. It’s the perfect way to spend an evening or two, while we’re all still waiting for the spring weather to finally set in again.